Every year, once the holiday season has come to a close, and the runners from the marathon have skipped town, Disneyworld shifts its attention to the arts. The International Festival of the Arts is one of many festivals that occurs in Epcot each year. This year’s festival runs from January 17th to February 24th.
For many Disney veterans, this festival is their favorite. It has all the charm and fun of the Festival of the Holidays, but without the difficult crowds. Personally, I would rank this festival 2nd, just behind Festival of the Holidays, but it is a very close second. It’s hard to compete with that Holiday Cookie Stroll! Regardless, this festival is a fantastic blend of food, entertainment, and shopping, and we highly recommend you check it out.
The food offerings are just as plentiful as Food and Wine Festival, but with an exceptionally fun emphasis on the art of food. Dishes perfect for your Instagram feed. If sushi shaped like a donut doesn’t interest you, they have booths showcasing authentic, one of a kind artwork from artists around the world. Most of the artwork are pieces related to Disney content in some way. We’ve picked up some really awesome framed drawings and paintings over the years. Sometimes you get lucky and the artist is right there to add their signature to the canvas.
Lastly, while you’re trying your best to cut your funnel cake with a dull plastic fork and knife, you can listen to Broadway stars perform the greatest hits each day at the stage in the America pavilion. We did see the slate for this year, and one notable mention is Adam Jacobs. He played the role as Aladdin in the original cast on Broadway, and recorded the soundtrack for the production with Disney legend Alan Menken.
This festival is truly one you don’t want to miss. The kickoff was last week, and as one of the shortest festivals at Epcot, you don’t have much more time to head down and enjoy the offerings. Disney recently showcased the menus for all this year’s food booths. We haven’t tasted everything yet, but we have started our own list of things we think you won’t want to miss. Here is our list for this year’s “Top 10 Must Eats” of the 2025 Epcot Festival of the Arts:
The Butterscotch Milkshake at the Fictional Victuals booth near Test Track. This could bring back childhood memories of instant Jello pudding for me.
The Deconstructed BLT at the Deconstructed Dish booth near Test Track. How do you say no anything with pork belly?
The Rainbow Cake at Figment’s Inspiration Station in The Odyssey pavilion, even though last time we tried it, it wasn’t great, I’m optimistic for better this year.
The Carne Asada near the Mexico pavilion. We’re promised queso fresco and chicharron dust.
The Egg Tart near the China pavilion. I’ve seen this done before and it’s good.
The Strawberry Bubble Milk Tea near the China pavilion.
Hazelnut S’mores Cannoli near the Italy pavilion. How many times have you said “if cannolis and s’mores had a baby…”, well here you go!
The Deviled Egg Trio in the America pavilion. There are a lot of good deviled egg dishes on property now (Homecomin at Disney Springs being the best), so there’s a high bar to hit on this one.
The Hummingbird Cake in the America pavilion.
Cotton Candy Funnel Cake near the America pavilion. It’s possible these two won’t pair well together, but who wouldn’t want to find out.
The Wagyu Bun near the Japan pavilion. Disney knows how to do a good steamed bun at Satoli’s canteen, so this seems like a can’t miss.
The Stone Baked Bread with Dips at the Morocco pavilion. Everything at this pavilion is always good.
The Crème de Brie en Petit Pain near the France pavilion. Warmed bread with cheese is classic French, and I’m here for it.
Bubble Gum Soft Serve near Port of Entry. I can’t wait to try this.
Do you plan to attend this year’s festival? What are some of your favorite dishes that you have tried this year? Let us know down in the comments section below!
